The Delhi Cabinet has approved an ordinance to regulate the fees charged by private schools. Education Minister Ashish Sood announced this development, stating, "Today, the Delhi Cabinet has approved the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Bill. It will be implemented retroactively from April 1, 2025. This bill will be sent to the President for her assent. This is a significant day for the people of Delhi."
Delhi School Education Bill 2025: Important points
- The Delhi School Education Bill 2025 aims to regulate the fee structure across all 1,677 private unaided and government-aided schools in the capital.
- In this bill, schools can not charge any fee over the prescribed limit, by any method.
- If any student is harassed over fees, a fine of Rs 50,000 will be imposed by the director of education.
- It is also mentioned that if any institution violates the norms of this bill, the government can seal and sell the property.
- Some sources added that there will be a provision to double the amount of the fine if it is not paid within a fixed timeframe.
- Each school will have a School-Level Fee Regulation Committee comprising parents, giving them direct decision-making power, as per the draft bill.
- The school's fee will be decided based on the location, quality of infrastructure, academic performance, and need for funds.
- The district and state-level committees of schools will handle appeals and ensure fairness.
Delhi School Act was approved in April in cabit by the Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. This act addresses issues like tuition fees, additional charges for specific subjects (e.g., science, music), and the utilisation of funds collected from students. The government has decided to share a complete guideline, procedure for fees for all schools, including aided, non-aided, private, and others, in due course.